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Abe Lincoln’s Dream | January 9, 2013

by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children's Publishing, Oct. 2012)

Do you need to read a review of a Lane Smith book to know it’s going to be good? Probably not, but Smith’s latest,  Abe Lincoln’s Dream, is the kind of book that demands to be talked about, even if its quality is already a foregone conclusion. At its heart, Lincoln’s Dream is a simple story. Young Quincy wanders away from her tour group while visiting the White House and stumbles upon Abe Lincoln’s melancholy ghost. Quincy manages to cheer Lincoln up by taking him on a trip around (and out of) the world, showing the presidential poltergeist just how far America has come.

The art is beautiful yet similarly restrained. Heavy textured line work evokes a classic feel and the palette is—save for select moments—fairly muted. The text , on the other hand, is wild; blatantly refusing to conform to any single style, size, or color. And this, perhaps, is something of the point; that a book about Lincoln should be marked by powerful words.

In the end, young readers might not necessarily learn a lot about Lincoln’s life, but then, this is not a book about his life but rather his legacy. Even if you find yourself experiencing Lincoln fatigue this year, be sure to take a look at this one.

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